Explore Cheeses

Explore cheese varieties from around the world, categorized by texture, milk type, and region.

Appenzeller

Appenzeller cheese hails from northeastern Switzerland and is famed for its rich, nutty flavor that intensifies with age. Treated with a secret blend of herbal brine, this cheese develops a smooth yet firm texture. Aged for a minimum of three …

Country: Switzerland
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Piquant, tangy

Anari

Anari is a fresh, soft cheese from Cyprus, akin to Italian ricotta. It is made from the whey of sheep or goat milk and is notably mild and moist. Anari is versatile in the kitchen, suitable for both savory dishes …

Country: Cyprus
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Very mild nutty flavor

Brillat-Savarin

Brillat-Savarin is a decadent triple-cream cheese named after the famous French gastronome. This cheese is exceptionally rich and creamy with at least 75% butterfat content. It has a mild, slightly tangy flavor with a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture, often enjoyed with …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semisoft
Flavor: Luxurious, tangy, sour, mushroomy softened butter

Beacon Fell traditional Lancashire cheese

Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire Cheese is a full-fat cheese made from cow’s milk in Lancashire, England. It contains a minimum of 48% butterfat in the moisture-free substance and a maximum moisture content of 48%. The cheese has a creamy uniform …

Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Semi-hard, loose, and open with a buttery feel
Flavor: Clean and mellow when young, sharp and tangy when mature

Crottin-Style

Crottin-style cheese is a small, round goat cheese known for its dense texture and slightly tangy flavor. It is typically aged, developing a firm, crumbly interior and a natural rind that can range from white to speckled with blue molds. …

Metsovone

Metsovone is a smoked, semi-hard cheese from Metsovo in the Pindus mountains of Greece. Made from cow's milk or a mix of cow and sheep or goat milk, it is one of the few Greek cheeses that is smoked, giving …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Cow's milk, Ewe's or Goat's milk
Texture: Semihard to hard
Flavor: Slightly salty and piquant

Fiore Sardo

Fiore Sardo is a firm, smoked sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia. It has a rugged texture and a rich, savory flavor, which is enhanced by the smoking process. Traditionally made by shepherds, Fiore Sardo is aged for at least three …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Spicy, herbaceous

Bra

Bra cheese comes from the town of Bra in Piedmont, Italy, and can be made from either cow's milk alone or a blend of cow's and sheep's or goat’s milk. It ranges in texture from soft and creamy to firm, …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk; optionally mixed with small quantities of sheep or goat milk
Texture: Hard or semi-hard depending on aging
Flavor: Range from mild to piquant

Grana Padano

Grana Padano is a hard, granular cheese from Italy's Po River Valley. It is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano but aged for a shorter period, resulting in a milder, less crumbly texture. It’s made from partially skimmed cow's milk and often …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Crumbly
Flavor: Nutty

Ġbejna

Ġbejna is a small, traditional cheese from Malta made from sheep's or goat’s milk. It can be found fresh, dried, or peppered, with each variety offering a different texture and taste. Fresh Ġbejna is soft and creamy, while dried Ġbejna …

Country: Malta
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Savory

Morbier

Morbier is a French semi-soft cheese recognizable by the distinctive black layer of vegetable ash streaking through its middle, originally added to separate the morning and evening milkings. This cheese has a creamy texture and a slightly pungent aroma, with …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Smooth and tender
Flavor: Fruity, yogurt, vanilla, milky, fudge

Castelmagno

Castelmagno is a renowned Italian blue cheese from Piedmont. It is made primarily from cow's milk with occasional small additions of sheep's or goat's milk. This cheese has a grainy texture and an intense, sharp flavor. Castelmagno is often used …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's, goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Hard, compact, friable
Flavor: Savory, salty

Burrata

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, similar to mozzarella but with a creamy interior that oozes out when cut open. Made from cow's milk, the outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Water buffalo's milk
Texture: Soft, creamy
Flavor: Mild, lactic

Queijo Serra da Estrela

Queijo Serra da Estrela is a traditional cheese from Portugal, specifically protected under the designation of origin (PDO). It is made from raw ewe's milk from the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds. The cheese uses the cardoon …

Country: Portugal
Milk Type: Sheep
Texture: Closed, slightly buttery, creamy and smooth (standard); closed or with some eyes, slightly dry crumbly body (Velho)
Flavor: Smooth, clean, and slightly acidic (standard); pleasant, lingering, clean, strong to slightly strong and slightly spicy/salty (Velho)

American Gruyere

American Gruyere is inspired by the classic Swiss cheese but made in the United States. It replicates the sweet, slightly nutty flavor of traditional Gruyere. This version is typically smoother and creamier, with fewer age-induced cracks and holes. It is …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Dense , Smooth
Flavor: Mild, Nutty, Slightly Buttery

Graviera Kritis

Graviera Kritis is a popular cheese from the island of Crete, possessing a PDO status. Made primarily from sheep's milk with some goat's milk, it has a sweet, nutty flavor that becomes more pronounced with age. The texture is semi-hard, …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep's milk, Goat's milk (up to 20%)
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Nutty, Sweet

Caciocavallo-Style

Caciocavallo-Style cheese is a traditional southern Italian cheese made from cow's milk. It is typically shaped like a teardrop and is aged by hanging in pairs over a wooden beam. This cheese is known for its smooth, firm texture and …

Quesucos de Liébana

Quesucos de Liébana is a full-fat cheese from the Liébana district in Cantabria, Spain. It is made from a blend of cow’s, ewe’s, and goat’s milk, specifically from the Tudanca, Brown Alpine, Friesian, Lacha, Pyrenean, and Picos de Europa breeds. …

Milk Type: Cow’s, ewe’s, goat’s milk
Texture: Firm, compact
Flavor: Mild and milky, with a smoked variant offering a distinct smoky taste

Pljevlja

Pljevlja is a traditional cheese from the northern region of Montenegro, made from cow's milk. It has a rich, creamy texture and a strong, salty flavor. Often served as part of a mezze platter, Pljevlja cheese is enjoyed with bread, …

Country: Montenegro
Milk Type: Sheep’s milk, cow’s milk, mixed
Texture: Soft to semihard

Pecorino Siciliano

Pecorino Siciliano is an ancient sheep’s milk cheese from Sicily, known for its sharp and spicy flavor. This hard cheese is typically aged for at least four months and has a compact, crumbly texture. It’s often enjoyed on its own …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Hard and compact
Flavor: Varies from fresh and floral to fruity and spicy with age

Trnič

Trnič is a pear-shaped cheese from Slovenia, traditionally made on the Velika Planina plateau. It is a hard cheese made from curdled cow's milk, with added cream and salt. Historically, it was made by shepherds as a token of love, …

Country: Slovenia
Milk Type: Cow’s milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Salty and slightly acidic

Slovenská parenica

Slovenská parenica is a traditional cheese from Slovakia, known for its unique 'S' shape and fibrous texture. It is a steamed, lightly smoked cheese made primarily from sheep's milk, though it can also include cow's milk. The cheese is formed …

Milk Type: Sheep's milk, can include cow's milk
Texture: Elastic, fibrous structure
Flavor: Mild, pleasantly salty

Queso Los Beyos

Queso Los Beyos is a traditional cheese from northern Spain, produced in the municipalities of Oseja de Sajambre (Castile-Leon) and Ponga and Amieva (Asturias). It is made from raw or pasteurized cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk, but the milk types …

Milk Type: Cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk (never mixed)
Texture: Hard to semi-hard, closed, friable, crumbly, minimal elasticity
Flavor: Mild (cow’s milk), more intense (sheep’s and goat’s milk)

Queso Palmero

Queso Palmero, also known as Queso de La Palma, is a traditional cheese from La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. Made exclusively from the milk of La Palma goats, the cheese reflects the island's rich grazing pastures and centuries-old …

Country: Spain
Milk Type: Goat
Texture: Firm, varies with aging
Flavor: Mild and milky when fresh, developing more complexity when aged

Feta

Feta is a brined <a href="https://anycheese.com/glossary/cheese-curds/" title="Explore our detailed guide on cheese curds">curd</a> white cheese from Greece, made traditionally from sheep's milk, or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is crumbly with a slightly grainy texture and …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Soft, white, aged in brine
Flavor: Sharp to mild

Was this page helpful?